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A neater approach to roasted garlic There's more than one way to roast garlic. For a long time, I roasted whole heads of garlic with their tops cut off so I could just squeeze the cloves of roasted garlic right out of their skins. That approach was all right, but the garlic got squished, my fingers got sticky, and annoying flakes of papery skin would stick to my fingers and get in my roasted garlic. Now I use this neater method. 1. Separate a head of garlic into individual cloves. Don't peel the cloves, but do rub off any flaky or papery skin. Use a paring knife to nip off the stem end of each clove. You want the peel to stay on, but it's fine if a little comes off. 2. Put the cloves in the center of a square of aluminum foil, drizzle with a little olive oil, and use your fingers to rub the oil evenly on the cloves. Add fresh herb sprigs for aroma, if you like. 3. Gather the foil into a beggar's pouch and set the pouch directly on the rack of a 350°F oven. Roast until the garlic becomes very soft and lightly browned, about 1 hour. You can roast two heads' worth of cloves in one pouch, but for more than that, make another pouch. 4. Open the pouch and let the cloves sit until they're cool enough to handle. Squeeze each clove gently at the untrimmed end and the roasted flesh should slide right out in one piece. GRAPE: Another bite-size SLICER OR GLOBE: tomato, this one is sweet and shaped like an elongated sphere (just like a grape). It's usually red or yellow and less than an inch in diameter. Use like cherry and pear tomatoes. Ranging from golfball to baseball size, this generally juicy, flavorful tomato comes in all colors. A good tomato for slicing and for salads. BEEFSTEAK:This jumbo juicy tomato has an irregular pumpkin-like shape and comes in all colors. It's good cooked or raw (it has an intense tomatoey flavor) and, though messy, great for thick slices. GREEN: There are two kinds-tomatoes that re- HEIRLOOM: This name refers to any time-honored main green when fully ripe, tomato variety grown such as the tangy Zebras shown here; and red tomatoes picked before they ripen, which are quite tart and best used for frying, for broiling, and in relishes. from open-pollinated seeds. They may be sensitive to weather and disease, but their flavor can be exceptional. AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2003 67